Scottish Executive

Aggregates Tax

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the introduction of the aggregates tax in April 2002, whether the cost of any new computer software development to administer the tax correctly will be defrayed by the Executive or Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and what consultation it has undertaken with quarry operators in order to arrive at a position on this matter as regards (a) any costs of such software and (b) whether there is sufficient time prior to its introduction for quarriers to develop any software required.

Rhona Brankin: The aggregates tax is a reserved matter. There are no plans to defray the cost of changes to computer software in Scotland. HM Treasury and Customs and Excise have included the quarrying industry in their consultations on the tax.

Aggregates Tax

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will hold an inquiry into the impact of the proposed aggregates tax upon the Scottish economy.

Rhona Brankin: The aggregates tax is a reserved matter. Assessment of the impact of the proposed tax throughout the UK is a matter for HM Treasury.

Ambulance Service

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the Scottish Ambulance Service’s bid for additional staff resources to enable it to comply with the European Working Time Directive and when an announcement on the result of this bid is expected.

Susan Deacon: The resources allocated in the Scottish Ambulance Service increased by £5.3 million in 2001-02 and a further £6.6 million in 2002-03 and £3.6 million in 2003-04. The Scottish Ambulance Service is reassessing the impact of the European Working Time Directive on its operations to ensure that consistent, sustainable and high quality ambulance services are provided across Scotland, in a way which puts patients first and ensures that staff are able to give of their best.

Apprenticeships

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the modern apprenticeship pass rate was in each local enterprise company area in each of the last two years.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The table provides the information requested.

  Modern Apprenticeship Pass Rate: 1999-2000 and 2000-01

  


LEC area 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



Starts 
  

Completers or still in training 
  

Starts 
  

Completers or still in training 
  



SE Ayrshire 
  

938 
  

63% 
  

1,039 
  

84% 
  



SE Borders 
  

83 
  

83% 
  

125 
  

90% 
  



SE Dumbarton 
  

265 
  

84% 
  

305 
  

100% 
  



SE Dumfries 
  

176 
  

75% 
  

332 
  

85% 
  



SE Edinburgh & Lothians 
  

696 
  

80% 
  

1,073 
  

91% 
  



SE Fife 
  

405 
  

65% 
  

437 
  

94% 
  



SE Forth Valley 
  

465 
  

71% 
  

656 
  

80% 
  



SE Glasgow 
  

1,730 
  

55% 
  

1,732 
  

81% 
  



SE Grampian 
  

464 
  

76% 
  

586 
  

86% 
  



SE Lanarkshire 
  

1,141 
  

72% 
  

1,295 
  

86% 
  



SE Renfrewshire 
  

414 
  

75% 
  

459 
  

89% 
  



SE Tayside 
  

357 
  

70% 
  

653 
  

85% 
  



Argyll & the Islands Enterprise 
  

74 
  

100% 
  

61 
  

87% 
  



Caithness & Sutherland
 Enterprise 
  

89 
  

91% 
  

65 
  

92% 
  



Inverness & Nairn Enterprise 
  

75 
  

81% 
  

125 
  

86% 
  



Lochaber Limited 
  

20 
  

80% 
  

47 
  

79% 
  



Moray, Badenoch & Strathspey Enterprise 
  

40 
  

70% 
  

39 
  

87% 
  



Orkney Enterprise 
  

30 
  

90% 
  

25 
  

96% 
  



Ross & Cromarty Enterprise 
  

68 
  

82% 
  

65 
  

91% 
  



Shetland Enterprise 
  

58 
  

88% 
  

51 
  

96% 
  



Skye & Lochalsh Enterprise 
  

17 
  

88% 
  

12 
  

83% 
  



Western Isles Enterprise 
  

35 
  

89% 
  

43 
  

88% 
  



  Notes:

  Modern apprentices start at different times throughout the year and there is no common set point for individuals to complete their apprenticeships, so the information above shows the proportion of young people who started MAs in the last two years and have completed their training or are still in training.

  Those who leave the modern apprenticeship programme before final completion often go on to positive outcomes, e.g. FE, other training or employment.

Birds

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reverse any decline in the bird population.

Rhona Brankin: All birds are legally protected in the UK. The Scottish Executive and Scottish Natural Heritage work with a variety of governmental and non-governmental organisations to maintain and enhance the status of various species of birds which have shown sustained periods of decline in recent years.

  Action includes protection and management of migratory and vulnerable/endangered species under the EU Birds Directive, including the classification of Special Protection Areas, together with projects involving re-introduction and species recovery programmes. Biodiversity action plans for those species most at risk throughout the UK are also in place.

  Measures to improve protection for Scotland’s wildlife are included in The Nature of Scotland, published in March 2001 and currently out to consultation.

Dental Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the adult population in the Dumfries and Galloway Health Board area is registered with an NHS dentist.

Susan Deacon: For the year ending March 2000, 45% of adults in the Dumfries and Galloway area were registered with an NHS dentist.

Dental Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued or plans to issue on the maximum distances which patients should be required to travel to receive dental treatment.

Susan Deacon: No guidelines have been issued and there are no plans to issue any.

Dental Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued or intends to issue on the maximum number of patients a dentist may have.

Susan Deacon: No guidelines have been issued and there are no plans to issue any.

Dental Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking or plans to take to improve the provision of dental services in rural areas, in particular, in Dumfries and Galloway.

Susan Deacon: Steps taken include:

  Scottish Dental Access Initiative grants to encourage practitioners to set up or expand NHS practices in areas of unmet patient demand or high oral health need, including rural areas;

  approval of salaried dentist posts in areas where island health boards or Primary Care NHS Trusts have indicated that there are difficulties with NHS dental provision or oral health needs;

  a scheme whereby fees may be paid to dentists travelling to rural areas for loss of remunerative time spent on travel and to compensate the dentist where visits are cancelled at short notice, and

  the early years enhanced capitation scheme to encourage dentists to register and provide preventative advice and treatment to 0-2 and 3-5-year-olds, with payment on a sliding scale depending on the level deprivation.

Dental Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the availability of dental services in rural areas, in particular in Dumfries and Galloway.

Susan Deacon: Problems of access to NHS dentistry within all areas of Scotland, including remote and rural areas, are being kept under review by the Executive on a continuous basis, and is one of the areas being looked at by the Implementation Support Group for the Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.

Disabled People

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10039 by Iain Gray on 30 October 2000, what progress has been made in ensuring that people with a disability continue to have access to the support and advisory services provided by Disability Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive hopes to be in a position soon to set out proposals to ensure that disabled people and key organisations in the disability field play a major role in shaping and influencing how their views are represented and their needs met.

Education

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reform the way in which information is collected and collated for the school census by giving a more detailed breakdown of the categories covered.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive is seeking to develop the way in which information is collected and collated for the school census, by maximising the potential for electronic data interchange with schools, in line with National Grid for Learning objectives. We are working with schools, local authorities and other interested players in the education field to develop a common set of detailed categories and standards for this data interchange.

  The content of the school census is kept under regular review in conjunction with education partners. An important consideration in this process is minimising the completion burden on schools. A copy of the survey forms used in the September 2000 school census, which show a detailed breakdown of all categories covered, has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Enterprise

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has carried out or intends to carry out to assess the impact of the European Distance Selling Directive on Scottish businesses, and what the results of any such studies carried out to date were.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive has not carried out any studies on the impact of the Distance Selling Directive on Scottish businesses and has no plans to carry out any such study.

Fisheries

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14245 by Rhona Brankin on 30 March 2001, when it expects to conclude its review of aquaculture regulation, which bodies and agencies are involved in this review and what the composition is of the review team.

Rhona Brankin: The review is being led by officials within my Fisheries Group, but it is necessarily a cross-cutting exercise involving a number of other interests both within and outwith the Executive. As the first stage in this process, my officials wrote to those with an interest, inviting views by the end of April on how the existing arrangements might be improved. Formal consultation on a range of proposals will be undertaken over the summer. I expect to receive a final report towards the end of the year.

Fisheries

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what performance targets it has set for the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency for 2001-02.

Rhona Brankin: For the financial year 2001-02 I have set the following targets:

  


Aerial Surveillance 
  



- % of hours flown on task 
  

87% 
  



- cost per hour flown on task 
  

£1,250 
  



Marine surveillance 
  



- cost per effective patrol day 
  

£4,140 
  



- utilisation of available patrol days 
  

97% 
  



Sea Fisheries Inspectorate 
  



- catches physically inspected and checked against landing 
  declarations by over 10 metre vessels 
  

47% 
  



- cost per catch inspection 
  

£92 
  



Cases for Prosecution 
  



- cases for prosecution to be reported within six weeks 
  of offences being detected 
  

90% 
  



- within eight weeks of offences being detected 
  

98% 
  



Number of cases where court proceedings are taken or the 
  imposition of a PF fine, as percentage of offences reported 
  to prosecuting authorities 
  

88% 
  



Efficiency 
  



- cash-releasing efficiency gain 
  

1.5% 
  



  The Chief Executive will be directly accountable to me for the achievement of these targets, which will be reported in the agency’s Annual Report.

Food Safety

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures the Food Standards Agency Scotland has taken or plans to take to deal with any illegal importation of meat following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and what diseases can be carried in imported meat.

Malcolm Chisholm: As part of the wider range of checks on meat entering the UK announced on 3 May 2001, the agency is undertaking a programme of audits of ports and seaports to examine the effectiveness of UK border inspection arrangements operating there. This will cover commercial as well as personal imports. In Scotland the agency has provided additional guidance and asked local authorities to check for illegal imports as part of their routine inspection of food premises. To assist this process, an amendment to the Products of Animal Origin Regulations 1996 will strengthen the local authorities’ powers to seize suspected illegal imports.

  Pieces of meat may carry a range of different diseases affecting both human health and animal health. The agency’s over-riding concern is the protection of public health. It is therefore very important to the agency that the legal requirements for imports of meat are observed, so that the measures designed to protect the public are effective.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government about deferring or restructuring VAT and income tax payments and other government levies and charges due to be paid by Scottish farmers, businesses and others affected by the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and about the economic and social effect which requiring these payments to be made at this time may have.

Ross Finnie: In addition to the £13.5 million emergency package for the Scottish rural economy, several measures were announced by the UK Government on 20 March which will help Scottish farmers, businesses and others affected by the outbreak. They include flexibility from the Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise on the timing of payments for businesses with cash flow difficulties, scope for continuing credit for businesses already in receipt of the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme, and continuing credit from the banks for small businesses badly affected.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most effective course of action is to preserve the "gene pool" of livestock involved in the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, where culling may destroy rare breeds.

Ross Finnie: The culling policy being applied during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak makes special provision to safeguard rare breeds.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14855 by Angus MacKay on 26 April 2001, whether population density per hectare was the only criterion used to determine in which local authorities small businesses would be eligible for 95% of the cost of funding hardship relief related to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Angus MacKay: It was decided that the support would be most effective if targeted at rural local authority areas where the viability of businesses was threatened as a direct result of the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease, and population density per hectare was the measure used to define rural areas for this purpose. These local authorities include all infected areas. 95% of the cost of the relief to small businesses in these areas is funded by the Scottish Executive, with local authorities making up the remaining 5% of the cost. Large businesses and those in all other areas are still eligible to apply for relief, 75% of which will be funded by the Scottish Executive and 25% by local authorities.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why it has not adopted the same policy as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in relation to the protection of hefted flocks in areas affected by foot-and-mouth disease.

Ross Finnie: The special circumstances which apply to hefted flock have been and will continue to be recognised when applying SERAD culling policy. The priority, however, has been to avoid any risk of the disease being spread through our hill areas and beyond, with possibly dire consequences for the whole of Scotland’s livestock industry. Now that the disease is under control the position of hefted flocks outwith infected premises will be assessed carefully before any cull goes ahead.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all the areas of its policy on the control and eradication of foot-and-mouth disease which differ from policy in England and Wales.

Ross Finnie: FMD Policy in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive. The priority has been to take all action necessary to control and eradicate the disease quickly and effectively based on the veterinary and epidemiological advice put before me which reflected all the circumstances relevant to the outbreak in Scotland.

  Throughout this outbreak I have liased regularly with Nick Brown and my officials have worked extremely closely with their colleagues in Whitehall and in Wales. A detailed list of any differences of approach or implementation has not been maintained.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cattle in Scotland over five years old have been burnt on funeral pyres as a result of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and, of these, how many it estimates could have had BSE.

Ross Finnie: Approximately 74,000 carcases of cattle slaughtered in Scotland as a result of FMD have been burnt. Cattle were not aged individually so the information requested is not available. However, except in some early cases on farms only store or fattening cattle which are always less than five years old were buried. All the rest – which will have included some cattle under five years – were burnt, in line with SEAC advice. Information on BSE in relation to total cattle population in the year 2000 for areas of Scotland affected by FMD is shown in the table:

  


Region 
  

BSE Cases 
  

Cattle Population 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

10 
  

445,019 
  



Borders 
  

3 
  

154,968 
  



Highland 
  

4 
  

150,433 
  



  In view of the on-going decline in BSE cases over a number of years now, and the above information, few, if any, cattle over five years old which were burnt could have been expected to be incubating BSE.

Forestry

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive under what power it plans to review the consent for Woodland Grant Scheme funding at Ladylea Hill, Candacraig, and whether a formal appeal seeking review of this consent has been received.

Ross Finnie: Scottish Ministers are considering an appeal against the decision of the Forestry Commissioners under regulation 17 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry)(Scotland) Regulations 1999. In accordance with the Regulations, the Scottish Ministers will, in determining the appeal, take into consideration the environmental information, any representations in relation to the appeal and any other material consideration.

Fuel

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authority vehicles have been converted to date for liquid petroleum gas fuel use.

Sarah Boyack: Since 1996 the Powershift grant scheme in Scotland has assisted the purchase or conversion of 133 local authority vehicles to run on either liquid petroleum gas or compressed natural gas. The Executive does not hold statistics on vehicle conversions or purchases that have taken place without Powershift assistance.

Gaelic

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1F-992 by Mr Jim Wallace on 5 April 2001, what evidence it has to indicate that the allocation by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council of 10 funded Postgraduate Certificate in Education places at the University of Strathclyde is sufficient to support primary Gaelic-medium provision.

Mr Jack McConnell: For primary Gaelic-medium the Executive estimates that around 110 newly trained teachers will be required over the next seven years. There are 12 students undertaking a primary teaching qualification who may qualify as Gaelic-medium teachers this year. The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) are continuing to look to all institutions to respond positively to the need for teachers able to teach in the Gaelic medium through normal intakes to the BEd, Primary PGCE and Secondary PGCE courses. The provision of an extra 10 places is a step along the right route to fill any gap in teacher requirements in this area.

  The largest Gaelic-medium teacher requirements are specified by the Highlands and Islands and within the Glasgow area. The additional 10 funded places awarded by SHEFC to Strathclyde University in session 2001-02 specifically to support primary Gaelic-medium provision will have a significant impact in the geographic areas with the greatest need.

  SHEFC are continuing to monitor the situation and are seeking to improve information gathered from teacher education institutions which will inform the council’s future funding allocations specifically for Gaelic-medium teacher education.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to collect centrally data recording the incidence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder broken down by health board area, gender and age.

Susan Deacon: We have no such plans.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what health screening tests are routinely conducted on pre-school children.

Susan Deacon: The National Pre-School Screening Programme is carried out on the advice of the Children’s Sub-Group of the National Screening Committee and currently screens for visual and hearing problems as well as some congenital conditions such as phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism and eye and hip anomalies.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to ensure that all hospital consultants and other staff are given deaf awareness training.

Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15598 on 17 May 2001.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recommend that professional training for physiotherapists includes a module on hypermobility syndromes.

Susan Deacon: Pre-registration undergraduate training for physiotherapists already prepares students with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage the effects of hypermobility syndrome.

  The content of pre-registration courses for physiotherapists is a matter for the professional and regulatory bodies, i.e. the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12264 how much Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Eilean Siar, Highland and West Lothian Councils spent in each year from 1996-97 to 2000-01 in utilising their discretionary powers to enable tenants to purchase a home on the open market.

Jackie Baillie: The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition of community ownership is.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Housing Green Paper Investing In Modernisation published in February 1999 (Cm 4272) stated that community ownership would normally result from the transfer of existing public sector rented housing to alternative community landlords at a price which reflects the value of the stock and under arrangements which ensure that:

  the housing is owned by a non-profit making body on which there is tenant, local authority and community representation;

  there is effective tenant involvement in key decisions;

  housing is available, and continues to be available, to be let at affordable rents to those in housing need, including the homeless and other vulnerable groups, and

  there are guarantees for transferring tenants regarding rent increases, tenancy rights and repairs and improvements to housing stock.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cash value of discounts given under the right to purchase sections of the Tenants’ Rights, Etc. (Scotland) Act 1980 and the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 has been in each year since this right was introduced.

Jackie Baillie: The table shows the total cash value of discounts given for sales of public sector dwellings which took place each year since 1 April 1979. The figures include discounts for right to buy, rent to mortgage and voluntary sales, all of which took place under the right to buy legislation, and include discounts on the sales of dwellings owned by local authorities, New Towns and Scottish Homes. Information on the discounts given in respect of housing association sales is not held centrally.

  Information on discounts given on public sector house sales which took place between April and December 2000 will be available towards the end of June 2001.

  


Period 
  

Total Discount in cash prices
(£000) 
  



1979-80 
  

12,853 
  



1980-81 
  

37,696 
  



1981-82 
  

73,339 
  



1982-83 
  

104,479 
  



1983-84 
  

130,756 
  



1984-85 
  

137,939 
  



1985-86 
  

130,696 
  



1986-87 
  

147,558 
  



1987-88 
  

262,867 
  



1988-89 
  

430,690 
  



1989-90 
  

521,754 
  



1990-91 
  

429,639 
  



1991-92 
  

380,670 
  



1992-93 
  

387,686 
  



1993-94 
  

367,331 
  



1994-95 
  

375,857 
  



1995-96 
  

285,963 
  



1996-97 
  

268,131 
  



1997-98 
  

299,475 
  



1998-99 
  

260,438 
  



1999-2000 
  

272,945

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value, expressed in today’s prices, of all discounts given under the right to purchase sections of the Tenants’ Rights, Etc. (Scotland) Act 1980 and the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 has been in each year since this right was introduced.

Jackie Baillie: The table shows the total value of discounts (in April 2001 prices) given for sales of public sector dwellings which took place each year since 1 April 1979. The figures include discounts for right to buy, rent to mortgage and voluntary sales, all of which took place under the right to buy legislation, and include discounts on the sales of dwellings owned by local authorities, New Towns and Scottish Homes. Information on the discounts given in respect of housing association sales is not held centrally.

  Information on discounts given on public sector house sales which took place between April and December 2000 will be available towards the end of June 2001.

  


Period 
  

Total Discount in April 2001 prices (£000) 
  



1979-80 
  

39,274 
  



1980-81 
  

97,624 
  



1981-82 
  

169,764 
  



1982-83 
  

222,670 
  



1983-84 
  

266,469 
  



1984-85 
  

267,741 
  



1985-86 
  

239,149 
  



1986-87 
  

261,114 
  



1987-88 
  

446,539 
  



1988-89 
  

697,403 
  



1989-90 
  

783,989 
  



1990-91 
  

589,775 
  



1991-92 
  

493,588 
  



1992-93 
  

484,537 
  



1993-94 
  

451,919 
  



1994-95 
  

451,498 
  



1995-96 
  

331,994 
  



1996-97 
  

303,952 
  



1997-98 
  

329,137 
  



1998-99 
  

276,745 
  



1999-2000 
  

285,652

NHS Staff

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make central funding available to enable medical secretaries in the NHS to be upgraded.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has announced record funding for the NHS. Health boards’ unified budgets have increased to £4.4 billion in 2001-02 with individual board increases ranging from 5.5% to 9.8%. It is for health boards and NHS Trusts to decide how to apply these increased resources to meet the healthcare needs of the population of their areas.

NHS Trusts

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS Trusts have a projected overspend in their budget for 2000-01.

Susan Deacon: As at 31 December 2000, 13 Trusts projected a year-end overspend. Of those Trusts forecasting overspends, six Trusts forecast overspends greater than £1 million.

NHS Trusts

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it will give to NHS Trusts on reducing financial deficits prior to the new financial year commencing on 1 April 2001.

Susan Deacon: Sound financial management is a core requirement of every NHS organisation. Each NHS Trust is expected to work to attain financial balance by the year end.

NHS Trusts

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how long it has given Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust to balance its deficit and what extra resources it will make available to address any increasing demands on the Trust.

Susan Deacon: Grampian Health Board received an additional 5.5% allocation in 2001-02 and it is forecast to receive an increase of 6.5% in 2002-03 and 7.4% in 2003-04; uplifts which considerably exceed inflation.

  The health board will consider how these additional funds will be utilised having regard to national priorities and local health needs.

  The Scottish Executive Health Department is in discussions with Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust and Grampian Health Board about their plans to deliver services within the resources available to them. Following these discussions a timetable for repayment of historic overspending will be agreed.

Pig Industry

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve welfare standards in the pig industry.

Ross Finnie: The measures in our legislation to protect the welfare of pigs is among the strictest in the EU. I expect these measures to be strengthened further once EU legislation, at present in draft form, is adopted.

Recycling

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice or guidance it has issued to local authorities on the use of recycled paper for office stationery, publications and documents.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has not issued any guidance to local authorities on the use of recycled paper. However, we will draw the attention of local authorities to the new Greening Government policy statement adopted by the Scottish Executive.

Renewable Energy

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the statutory consents necessary for the construction of an onshore wave energy power station and the authorities to whom each application for such consents must be submitted, what average time is taken to issue each consent and what the current level is of any consent application fee.

Rhona Brankin: An onshore generating station of 50 megawatts or less will require the consent of the planning authority within whose boundaries the proposed development falls under section 28 of the 1997 Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act. The fee depends on the site area of the development, but the maximum would be £10,500. Planning legislation requires applications to be determined within two months (four where an environmental impact assessment is required), unless the developer agrees in writing to an extension of this period. The time taken can vary considerably, however, depending on the issues involved in a particular case.

  If the proposed station exceeds 50 megawatts in size, consent must be obtained from Scottish Ministers under section 36 of the 1989 Electricity Act. This consent can also include deemed planning permission under section 57 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. An application for consent under the 1989 Act can attract a fee of between £5,000 and £20,000, depending on the output of the proposed scheme. There is no maximum time taken to issue such consents, although, as a guide, the relevant planning authority is allowed four months in which to submit its views as part of the consultation process.

Tourism

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek urgent discussions with Aberdeen City Council on the reinstatement of the City’s tourist office.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: I attended a meeting on 26 April arranged by local MSPs with representatives of Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen & Grampian Tourist Board to discuss the issue. I hope that this meeting will lead to a resolution of the existing problems. However, decisions about funding and about the provision of TICs is a matter for local decision, not for the Executive.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what strategy it has to address any decline in visitors to Scotland through rail-based breaks following recent disruptions to the rail network.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: VisitScotland are involved in a number of initiatives to promote rail travel to Scotland generally, and are in discussions with ScotRail regarding the foot and mouth recovery programme.

Tourism

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance has been received by the National Trust for Scotland in respect of the proposed Glencoe visitor centre from (a) the European Rural Development Fund, (b) the Enterprise Network, (c) Scottish Natural Heritage and (d) any other public funding source and whether any such financial assistance places local restaurant and retail premises that have not yet received such funding at a competitive disadvantage.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The National Trust for Scotland has received no financial assistance from the Enterprise Network in respect of the proposed Glencoe visitor centre. The Trust received £178,750 from Scottish Natural Heritage in 1995 toward the purchase of the land for the development of the project.

  I refer the member to a letter he received in December 1999 from the National Trust for Scotland detailing a total of £26,434 committed ERDF funding for the project. A copy of this letter will be placed for reference in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. This figure remains unaltered and no additional public sector funding has been provided to the National Trust for Scotland in respect of this project.